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expendablemudge's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3.75* of five
A more assured second outing for a mystery series that is becoming an addiction! This is a very well-written novel that happens to have a mystery at its center. The role of Hamish-the-voice is a little skimpier this time, not quite as loud on the page; I'm not sure that's entirely to my liking, but I think it's probably the best way to treat that difficult character. He could be a very great distraction, used too freely, though I find him fascinating...sleuth and sidekick only need one body!
I'm always interested in stories set in Cornwall, as this one is. It's such a different place, one that doesn't seem quite like England but undeniably is; it's so isolated (in English terms) from the main flow of the country that it seems to have all the advantages of being foreign...mystery, exoticism...without the inconvenience of learning a foreign language. Necessarily, that is, since a determined (an American would say "bloody-minded") effort is underway to "save" the Cornish tongue.
Inspector Ian Rutledge's work in this small Cornish village, whose Hall has seen three rapidly succesive deaths, is to determine with his London experience whether the local force did its job properly in ruling the deaths accidental or suicides. You can imagine that puts the backs up of pretty much the entire village as the news spreads! No one likes his territory big-footed across by the Big Noise from the City. It's just never a popular thing, and as the newsvine spreads the fact that it's a member of the Hall family...a cousin...who called in the Londoner, feeling runs even higher.
Todd examines how people, no matter their connection to events, respond to them with fierce passion. A simple childhood slight, an accident of observation, a detail changed by a fearful witness in a larger plan...all these play their role in creating and then sustaining a mystery that has at its heart the simplest of human motivations: Envy. Coming fresh off the Great War, this trope has special poignance, since it was largely the German Kaiser's envy of his cousins that set the conflict in motion.
I would recommend reading these books in order. I hope you'll give them a shot. They're good psychological novels that happen to come in a series and feature the same protagonist(s). Gladly recommended.
A more assured second outing for a mystery series that is becoming an addiction! This is a very well-written novel that happens to have a mystery at its center. The role of Hamish-the-voice is a little skimpier this time, not quite as loud on the page; I'm not sure that's entirely to my liking, but I think it's probably the best way to treat that difficult character. He could be a very great distraction, used too freely, though I find him fascinating...sleuth and sidekick only need one body!
I'm always interested in stories set in Cornwall, as this one is. It's such a different place, one that doesn't seem quite like England but undeniably is; it's so isolated (in English terms) from the main flow of the country that it seems to have all the advantages of being foreign...mystery, exoticism...without the inconvenience of learning a foreign language. Necessarily, that is, since a determined (an American would say "bloody-minded") effort is underway to "save" the Cornish tongue.
Inspector Ian Rutledge's work in this small Cornish village, whose Hall has seen three rapidly succesive deaths, is to determine with his London experience whether the local force did its job properly in ruling the deaths accidental or suicides. You can imagine that puts the backs up of pretty much the entire village as the news spreads! No one likes his territory big-footed across by the Big Noise from the City. It's just never a popular thing, and as the newsvine spreads the fact that it's a member of the Hall family...a cousin...who called in the Londoner, feeling runs even higher.
Todd examines how people, no matter their connection to events, respond to them with fierce passion. A simple childhood slight, an accident of observation, a detail changed by a fearful witness in a larger plan...all these play their role in creating and then sustaining a mystery that has at its heart the simplest of human motivations: Envy. Coming fresh off the Great War, this trope has special poignance, since it was largely the German Kaiser's envy of his cousins that set the conflict in motion.
I would recommend reading these books in order. I hope you'll give them a shot. They're good psychological novels that happen to come in a series and feature the same protagonist(s). Gladly recommended.
kribu's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5-3.75, but there's just something not quite letting me rate it as "really liked it".
I did like it, but ... dunno. Perhaps the pace was a bit too slow for me right now. Or it was just that the central mystery, while certainly interesting as such, never properly captivated me. Or perhaps it was the "lyrical singing of jackdaws" that kicked me out of believing in the story and never quite let me back in again. Who knows.
Anyway, still a good book, and Rutledge is a terrific character. But I think I'll need to take care to judge my mood better whenever I pick up the next book.
I did like it, but ... dunno. Perhaps the pace was a bit too slow for me right now. Or it was just that the central mystery, while certainly interesting as such, never properly captivated me. Or perhaps it was the "lyrical singing of jackdaws" that kicked me out of believing in the story and never quite let me back in again. Who knows.
Anyway, still a good book, and Rutledge is a terrific character. But I think I'll need to take care to judge my mood better whenever I pick up the next book.
theas1a4f5's review against another edition
3.0
I started the series with the older books first, they set the tone of what to expect, which were mysteries that had momentum. This to me had none of that and a lot of introspection and felt really bogged down and dragged out. So far it has been my least favorite.
tannat's review against another edition
1.0
Two stars till the "dramatic" dénouement. The authors may have done their research, but I'm not convinced they've done enough research. They also seem to rely too much on the psychopath solution rather than thinking up a truly clever mystery.
Rutledge running after Cormac like that was just dumb. I mean, he had Hamish telling him not to. I also figured Hamish would eventually start to fade, not start morphing into some sort of a split personality.
I'd skip this one, if you were at all tempted.
I'd skip this one, if you were at all tempted.
purlewe's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic. Given to me by a co-worker. Right up my alley with a time period English mystery. Exactly what I wanted and I didn't even know it! Another writer mentioned the book and my eye noticed it on my bookshelf the next day. I devoured this in 2 evenings.
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